Thursday, October 31, 2019

A Biscuits Halloween Horror Show - A Postseason Summary



If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Or at least wait a month or more to post it! Besides, now it fits into the scary theme of Halloween to look back at how the Biscuits season ended.


I had a post written and ready to go weeks ago but decided not to use it, since I don't like to use that many bad words in the blog. The short of it breaks down the Biscuits posteason series thusly...

Summary:
The Biscuits had no chance entering the playoffs due to the Rays shuffling dismantling of the Montgomery roster. Again.

If indeed Josh Fleming is the team MVP as named*, he deserved a Biscuits postseason start. Fans deserved a Josh Fleming postseason start. The Biscuits needed a Josh Fleming postseason start. Fleming made his lone postseason start for Durham.


Longtime fans recall 2006 and the great playoff efforts by pitcher Mitch Talbot. They don't recall that Talbot had ten regular season starts with the Biscuits to get his feet wet in Double-A before being expected to take the ball in the postseason. Joe Ryan had three regular season starts. Tommy Romero had just one.


Facing elimination in Montgomery, the Rays chose to move Jim Haley to Durham. The Biscuits starting third baseman went to Durham and played SECOND BASE, getting two hits as the Bulls were eliminated by Charlotte. Charlotte's starting pitcher? Mitch Talbot.


Between the shock of a tragic event and the twenty hour bus ride (How is that not an easy decision for the Rays to charter a flight? ) mixed with a depleted roster, what remained of Montgomery's greatest team withered on the vine just before it should have been ready to taste its sweetest victory.



DID YOU KNOW?
Matt Krook led the Biscuits in games started this year, with 18 openings. He also led the staff in wild pitches with nine.

Matt Krook




REBUILD THE MINORS
A story came out that the agreement between MLB and MILB will expire after 2020 and the big league guys seek to rearrange the minors. I personally doubt this will affect the Biscuits, mostly because our park is a nice facility in good proximity to the other teams in the league. Montgomery fans need not worry much.

an investigation uncovers the reason MLB wants to reorganize MiLB

I say, much, because the Biscuits do need a boost at the box office.


TROUBLING TURNSTILE TOTALS
The majority of Southern League teams saw a slight drop in attendance, with Montgomery no exception. Montgomery is 25th of 30 in average attendance per game at the double-A level. By comparison, Biscuits owner Lou DiBella's other team, Richmond, is 3rd.

Six southern league teams reside in the bottom of the big list, with Mobile at the basement level. Jackson, Biloxi, Mississippi also fail to draw many per game. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies come in at 26th with exactly 3000 attendees per game average, with the Biscuits just ahead of them at 3189.



SEVERAL BISCUITS NOW FREE AGENTS
David Rodriguez, Free Agent
A few Biscuits and former Biscuits became free agents with the conclusion of the season.

Ian Gardeck, Jason Garcia, Tommy Milone and David Rodriguez completed their contracts with the Rays. Former Biscuits Arturo Reyes, Jose Disla and Jose Mujica also became free agents from the Rays system.

Former Biscuits with other MLB teams that became free agents? Yeah, we gots that too. Lots of friendly faces on this list!

Bradin Hagens AZ, Jordan Harrison ATL, Riley Unroe ATL, Johnny Field CHC, Chih-Wei Hu CHC, Nick Ciuffo CIN, Mitch Talbot CLE, Justin O'Conner CHW, Mikie Mahtook DET, J.D.Martin LAD, Jaime Schultz LAD, Jake Hager MIL, Patrick Leonard MIL, Zach Lee NYM, Kyle Lobstein OAK, Matt Bush TX



#HAUNTED #BULLPENLIFE


THIS DAY WEEK MONTH IN MONTGOMERY BASEBALL HISTORY


OCT 29 1870 
The New York Clipper reports that the Bonnie Blues claimed to be the champions of Alabama. The Bonnie Blues of Montgomery defeated Mobile's Dramatic Club to claim the first championship in the state of Alabama.

Alec Pearsall
Same newspaper on Oct. 15, 1870 has them losing to a local picked nine, when their scheduled opponents, the "Prairie Roughs" of Montgomery, failed to show. "Pearsall" played first base for them--presumably Alec Pearsall of the old Excelsior of Brooklyn.







*he wasn't

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